1 Then the LORD appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamre,[a] as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day. 2 So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground, 3 and said, "My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant. 4 Please let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. 5 And I will bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh your hearts. After that you may pass by, inasmuch as you have come to your servant."
They said, "Do as you have said."
6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said, "Quickly, make ready three measures of fine meal; knead it and make cakes." 7 And Abraham ran to the herd, took a tender and good calf, gave it to a young man, and he hastened to prepare it. 8 So he took butter and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree as they ate.
9 Then they said to him, "Where is Sarah your wife?"
So he said, "Here, in the tent."
10 And He said, "I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son."
(Sarah was listening in the tent door which was behind him.) 11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age; and Sarah had passed the age of childbearing.[b] 12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, "After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?"
13 And the LORD said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh, saying, 'Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?' 14 Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son."
15 But Sarah denied it, saying, "I did not laugh," for she was afraid.
And He said, "No, but you did laugh!"
(Genesis 18:1-15)
Have you ever been sitting a formal occasion, such as in church or in another place where you are supposed to be listening attentively, if not politely, when something strikes you funny and it causes you to laugh. I must be warped or something, but it happens to me many times: and I am the preacher! Here I am, sitting up in front of the entire congregation, supposedly sitting there reverently, spiritually, trying to lead by example that I'm worshipful and focused on God and I want to break out laughing or snickering. Usually the actions of a small child will cause this, or the sour expressions of a church member who doesn't know I am looking at them, or watching a certain member falling asleep as their mouth falls open and a stream of drool leaks over their lips and down onto the floor. After witnessing things such as this for about an hour, it is all that I can do to regain my composure. Only thank the Lord for the singing, that helps me to diffuse the giggling and keeps my mind focused on the Lord until the next time something happens. Sometimes a funny memory will get me laughing. This happened to me yesterday at church when I allowed my mind to wander back to the previous evening when we went to the grocery store to pick up a few items for dinner the next day. As my wife and I were picking up a gallon jug of milk, I heard a tremendous commotion in the direction of the cereal aisle. I watched as some stock boys scrambled to the scene and a few bystanders gawked. As we made our way to the scene, we found our teenage daughter getting up from the floor, cereal boxes laying scattered all around her. Thankfully she was laughing. But a stock clerk had walked through the aisle with a large broom as he carried it on his shoulder. The broom head hit the cereal display perched precariously high above the shelf, dislodging the entire display- causing about two dozen or more boxes to come crashing down on Jinger as she was walking by. The sight of her picking herself off the floor with all those boxes of cereal sitting around caused me to want to laugh almost uncontrollably as I sang with the choir during the special music. I hope that no one noticed.
In the scene we read about in the Scripture lesson today, Sarai snickered, yea laughed, as she heard the heavenly visitors telling Abraham that he would soon be a father, and that his wife would bear a child in her old age. The thought nearly caused Sarai to laugh uncontrollably, to think she would be giving birth well past her child-bearing years. We would not think this too difficult to do today; unusual, yes, but impossible? Never. Thanks to modern medicine, we have seen women in the sixties have children at a time when they should be having grandchildren or great-grandchildren. But as the heavenly visitor said, "is anything too hard for God?"
A few moments later, after Sarai pulled herself together and began serving Abraham's company, she was reprimanded for her laughing spell. Embarrassed, Sarai denied laughing in front of these men, but they let her know that they knew even when Sarai was sure she was hiding in a place where no one could possibly have seen or heard her giggling in the tent. This revelation was given not just to reprimand Sarai, but to help her know that they were not ordinary visitors and that the promise that they gave was true and serious. She would have a child, and the child would be the beginning of the fulfillment of God's blessings.
You may be laughing, but remember God has the last laugh. God is serious in His promises and will prove to you that He is right and undeniable. Kneel down and thank Him. Even in your most incredulous moment, God always breaks in to show us how powerful and mighty He is. Is anything too hard for God? Never.
Prayer: Dear Lord as I begin another week I thank you for the gift of laughter. But I also thank you for showing me that there is nothing too difficult for You. I pray my sense of humor will always keep me from taking myself too seriously, but never to the point where I no longer take God seriously. In Christ's name, Amen.
Have a blessed day!
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